San Diego's alternative metal band In Fear and Faith take their name from a song by Circa Survive. That being said, many folks hear the name and think these guys belong in the Christian rock genre.
Far from it, claims guitarist and founding member Ramin Niroomand. Speaking from the road on the way to Dallas for a gig tonight at The Prophet Bar, Niroomand was eager to talk about the misconceptions concerning the band's name, the many personnel changes that have taken place over the years, and the pride he has for In Fear and Faith's new, symphonic EP.
Were you worried that with a name like In Fear and Faith, some people
might think you are in a Christian band?
We get that quite frequently. A lot of times people do think we are a
Christian band. However, our name and our message are not tied to any
religious denomination is all. Everything we do, though, does have a very
positive message. We do like to party and have a good time. We have
Christians in the band, but we would not fit under the Christian rock
label.
Do you think that some bands do not want to be labeled as Christian?
I actually have a reverse view on that. I think that a lot of bands who
are not Christian try to be labeled as that just for financial reasons.
Bands will use that as a gimmick and will not really represent the
message that many Christian bands want to put across. Some bands label
themselves that and not always with the best intentions.
You mentioned in interviews that you also don't mind being labeled Emo.
Well, emo is such a broad term. Critics and fans use it so broadly and
with so many definitions. I mean, our music is definitely emotional.
It's difficult to pinpoint. But most bands don't mind being called
emotional. And I think fans have emotional attachments to certain songs.
We've had so many descriptions thrown at us. We have songs about
suicide, motivation, togetherness and family. They're all emotional.
The band has had several membership changes. Is such just a rite of
passage for metal bands?
It would sure seem so. It's just difficult to be in a band. You have to
sacrifice so much. I feel fortunate to be in a band, but not everyone is
cut out for it. Plus, we let people go because they lost the passion
for it. They lost the motivation to work hard, to be their best. At each
show, regardless of how many people are there, you have to put on the
best show you can possibly put on. The minute people start getting lazy,
they have to go. Millions of people would kill to have this position.
But on the flip side, you have to sacrifice nearly everything to make
this happen. Many people who left this band lost that motivation to move
forward. I have a lot of goals that I still want to accomplish. Nobody
is going to get in the way of that. If so, the situation has to be
rectified quickly.
What were the circumstances that led to lead singer Jarred DeArmas
leaving and then coming back into the band to play bass?
At the time, we thought his singing ability didn't mesh with what we
wanted to do, didn't match our sound. That was the hardest thing for me
to do because I love the kid to death. It was a business decision. He
was an incredible screamer, but his vocals at other times were not up to
par. Thankfully, we have remained friends and he even ran the
merchandise table for us on a couple of tours. As far as him coming
back, we just don't have try outs. As soon as we had an opening at bass,
we thought of him. It was the easiest decision in the world for me.
It's fortunate that he played bass.
Exactly. It's really crazy how things can work out. This makes us
happiest right now. We are a five piece instead of a six piece and we
have people who really want to work hard and appreciate every moment of
this.
Now Scott Barnes is doing both the clean and unclean vocal duties. What
are the pros and cons of having one singer as opposed to two?
Having one front man is not only easier, but it gives the band focus.
Jarred helps out on the vocals as well. We are a layered band. We
concentrate on having a layered sound. But it's nice having Scott take
on both roles and he does them both so incredibly well. Plus being a
five piece makes it one less mouth to feed, one less person to complain,
one less person to run into on stage.
Whose idea was it to do symphonic renditions of your songs on the most
recent EP?
That was me. It was something I always wanted to do. It had been in the
back of my head for a while. The instrument that I have the most passion
for is the piano. And last year, while on tour, I hurt my foot and had
to stay home for many months, away from my friends. Finally, I found the
motivation to do what I wanted to do, make symphonic versions of our
songs. I spent months and months putting this EP together. In my
opinion, it's the best thing we've done.
Were you afraid of that old fans wouldn't like the new versions?
One thing that I am upset about is that the EP was not promoted. When
something isn't promoted, it's hard to educate people about the project.
Luckily, the feedback we got was beyond incredible. Whenever there was
negative feedback, it was because people thought this a new direction
for us. It was nothing other than an artistic escape to showcase another
side of us.
